This Kickstarter seeks funding for an iPad edition of Vendetta Online, Guild Software's multiplatform space combat MMORPG. In addition to this new tablet version, they outline other goals that will impact the game in its entirety: "All players and platforms share the same universe within Vendetta Online, so iOS users will rub elbows with those on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and WinRT. Beyond iPad support, the Kickstarter could also help fund the next major expansion of the title's gameplay, including enhanced player-owned capital ships and territorial conquest, and is scheduled for completion near the end of 2013."

But you're not talking about creating a product, you're talking about expanding an existing product to new platforms to create revenue. Now that's just common sense for anyone in business. Is it a crowdfunding project however?

Actually, the bulk of the funding will go to support the VO 1.9 gameplay expansion, not the iPad release. Even in the case of the iPad, we do specifically state the funds go to extra polish and features, rather than the port itself. So, yes, we are using these funds to build a new product, and we do need the funds to help us build the product. It really isn't so different from someone proposing to make a sequel of a game they made before, except that mine gets continuously updated and I don't have the luxury of the clear delineation of products.

Blahman wrote on Jan 18, 2013, 20:30:The way I see it, Kickstarter is not a charity, it's a marketplace for consumers to invest directly in the development of products they are interested in, regardless of its current stage of development (leave it up to the consumers to vote with their wallets if they think its a worthy cause).

I agree - to a point. It would just be a shame to see those who really need it squeezed out by a plethora of people asking for money who don't need it. As I said before, perhaps they could break it down into sections or tiers or something to help people differentiate and choose.

The way I see it, Kickstarter is not a charity, it's a marketplace for consumers to invest directly in the development of products they are interested in, regardless of its current stage of development (leave it up to the consumers to vote with their wallets if they think its a worthy cause).

But you're not talking about creating a product, you're talking about expanding an existing product to new platforms to create revenue. Now that's just common sense for anyone in business. Is it a crowdfunding project however? And for the record, I don't disagree for anyone asking for money to help them out, as I previously stated, I'm just concerned that all those who really need it - just to get a product off the ground, not expand - are going to get crowded out by fat cats like Molyneux who have oodles of dough - and remember that guy that won the lottery that was looking for people to pay for his game? That sort of thing really gets on my tits. Or the publisher that asked Obsidian to front a project for them? What's to stop established businesses all jumping on board and doing this?

I don't wish you guys and ill will, quite the opposite in fact. But you do understand what my concerns are, yes? I don't know. Perhaps KS still has some evolving to do. Perhaps they should have projects broken down by tiers based on disclosed finance or matching funds or something. It just doesn't seem right if there's no personal risk to those asking for funding for those who can afford it or existing products where people simply wish to expand into other markets. Otherwise it could lead to people souring on the whole crowdfunding concept entirely and that's no good for anyone.

Sigh, I just don't know. Anyway, I still don't agree with your kickstart but I do hope you guys do well for yourselves regardless of how it turns out.

While I get annoyed when established devs put their projects up on KS (looking at you Peter Molyneux), I kind of see KS as US protected speech, you might not always agree with it, but people have the right to pretty much say what they want short of doing something illegal. In that light, I say let whomever put their projects up on KS and let the people vote with their wallets. If the pitch is good and people like the vision, they'll fund it, regardless of source.

In this case, it's actually a good way to get to get into the game on the cheap. $25 buys you 6 months of access to the game, which normally costs $10/month. And as an established dev with a long-running game that builds upon an existing product, this is a very low-risk KS, which may have appeal to some people. Also, this is a very small developer that sells directly to gamers, not a big publishing house. If there was ever a case for an established dev to use KS, this is probably it.

No, we can't afford to do this on our own, not on anything approaching the timescale I've outlined. That's the whole point. If I already had these funds in addition to what capital we have, I would not be asking for it, period. One way or the other, we *are* risking our own capital, these funds are only enough to close the gap to make the near-term timeframe realistic.

If you could write a book over a length of 20 years, does that make it morally questionable for you to offer a Kickstarter allowing you to write the book in one year? What about if it would take you 5 years on your own? A big part of the point of Kickstarter is about reaching a critical mass that allows something creative to come to fruition.

There is a similar critical mass to a major game expansion on a complex MMO title. All this does is give our 4-person company the resources to focus purely on development for enough time to make this happen cohesively. If we did it without additional support it would probably take us several more years.

It is a moral hazard because you're asking people for money for something that you can afford to do, you simply don't want to risk your own capital. That's the very definition of moral hazard. And IMO that qualifies as a "fund my life" project which is against KS rules - or again, at least the spirit of it.

As more and more people who can afford to do things themselves but simply don't want to take any risk they're going to be crowding out and taking attention away from the very people that actually really need Kickstarter. And they actually need it because they have a good idea and no capital with which to realize it. And that bothers me greatly. Perhaps I need to kickstart my own Kickstarter that ensures this sort of thing doesn't happen anymore.

We already have an existing product, and we are risking ourselves. We've already invested quite a bit in the iPad version, and we are continuing to, a big part of the point of the Kickstarter is to fund additional polish and improvement prior to release (which I state in the video and on the KS page).

We do have a supportive player base, but some development goals benefit from raising a block of cash earlier in the process, rather than spreading it throughout, the way funds come into a launched product. The biggest value is that it lets us focus purely on development for a longer period of time, instead of dividing a lot of time towards marketing/bizdev. This has the affect of substantially accelerating development, by freeing resources to just focus on a forward goal.

I don't see this as a moral hazard. We're a developer, offering to make something better and on a much faster timeline if we obtain additional support from people who like what we're making. And we're providing great value to anyone who does support us, through massive discounts on game access. The fact that we're a real thing, with far lower risk, should make us less of a moral hazard.

So they already have an existing product and they don't want to risk anything themselves? So they're really just looking for free money. Well KS isn't for that. And if their existing product sucks enough that it's not generating money so they can do this themselves then why should anyone waste their money on a failing product anyway. Again, that just makes it another cash grab.

Edit: Being fed up with this sort of moral hazard type project I just emailed them a diatribe on this subject. I eagerly await their response to see how they feel about this sort of thing in general.